The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

westcoastscot

Hester lovely to hear that things are looking up, but sorry to hear that you may still have to move - hope something comes up soon for you

nursemaggie

Be careful on the utilities bill. Moving to this flat has meant that;

1. When we lived in a private rented house which was much bigger (2up 2down) we had more to heat but it was Gas central heating so much cheaper. We had a house either side passing heat to us so never heated upstairs. There is no gap between the floor and the ground here which means once we have had a frost our heat is disappearing through the ground at quite a fast rate.

2. We now have Storage radiators. You can't switch them off when you go out. They pump heat out all night and store very little. You seat in bed more than the worst heatwave, by 3pm there is virtually no heat , like trying to heat a 3 bed house with a 1 bar electric fire. I have discovered that more than seven layers does not improve you heat retention. Womens thermal vests are no better than cotton vests. Mens are brilliant but they reach my knees. We do not have any space to put a heater in any room. When we are allowed to put in some electric points we will be able to stand one in front of the heater in the living room but no where to put it when not in use. It costs twice as much to inadequately heat our home. It was only the kitchen that was an icebox at the other house.

3.2 bed houses are on the lowest tax so we actually have to pay more council tax. We both got housing and council tax benefit on the house. Now that we are in Socal Housing DS cannot be on the lease unless he is working and only at the annual renewal of the lease (I did think being in Social Housing would give us security and the landlord would not be able to throw us out without a reason) not so except for when ever they secretly changed the law. Anyway because he is not on the lease, (is a requirement for all non dependents over 18 to be on the lease in private housing, [That would have been where your L&M's friend would have had a say on you moving] thus DS was entitled to Housing and Council tax benefit in the house.

Now he cannot be on the lease, unless he happens to have a job the week we renew the lease, he can't have Housing and Council tax benefit, But because he is over 18 he is classed as a non dependent.

Now I will explain why is is also a dependent but also not a dependent again. For purposes of Universal Credit he is under 26 therefore my dependent so he basically gets a bit of pocket money and I am supposed to keep him and pay the part of the rent and council tax that he has to pay. I am not allowed any more money as he is a none dependent because he is over 18. I could go round in circles with this until DS is 26 or I die which ever comes first. What it comes down to is I have to pay two lots of the same bill for giving birth at the age of 48.

We could not square the circle down south which is why we are stuck up north miles from any family and never see anyone. We moved up here from the south coast, also a very expensive area, as the alternative was stay where we were until we had paid all of my savings out as rent and were evicted.

I could not do that to our landlady. She was lovely. She came and did some cleaning and looked after me after I have a huge operation, in an emergency, for my cancer.

When this happens the bailiffs come to throw you out. You are given a couple hours to pack, you need to find someone who would pay for your stuff to be taken and kept in storage. My own brother would not lend me a penny.

So we would have lost everything but a few clothes and never had enough money to replace absolute necessities. I would have been living in bed and breakfast and DS would have been on the streets. When you live in bed and breakfast you have no facilities to cook.

Hester I would check your entitlement for Council Tax credit. I am sure you could get quite a bit. It does not cost anything to apply. You can do it on line on your local Council's website.

monnagran

Nursemaggie, I don't know what to say. That could come straight from "Alice through the Looking Glass."

I really cannot believe that some supposedly competent Civil Servant is being paid good money for spouting this nonsense. What are these people between 18and 26 supposed to do then? Unless their parents are very wealthy or very loving and responsible, (like you,) are they supposed to just disappear until their 26th birthday?

You really are between a rock and a hard place, aren't you?

I know you well enough from your posts on here, to know that you will have explored every avenue and possibility and there is nothing more you can do.

I'll do the lottery more often, with you and Hester in mind.

x

nursemaggie

Yes it is ridiculous monna but laws are written for the average not everyone therefore parents cannot have children how ever late we make their parents be responsible for them We can't possibly be making pensioners on low incomes be responsible for adult children.

At the age of 26 I was married with one child but I could have had five as I lost 4 before I had DD. It is just unimaginable how my parents would have coped if my husband had been subjected to those rules as they always had a low income and my husband had only a very sick mother existing on only social security. She died shortly after DD was born.

Do you really think as a Christian you should be doing the lottery at all? I have never done it. I know that God will take care of us he has promised. I am quite happy as we are. We are not hungry which many younger people on Universal credit are.

With his dyslexia DS has about as much chance of getting a job as a snowflake has in hell. He may get sent on another work experience thing when one comes up. We suspect the government got an agreement from the companies taking part in this scheme, that they would take people on for at least 10 hours a week for a few weeks afterwards to quell all the fuss there was about people working for nothing.

I think he now wishes he had gone on applying for jobs when he got that job. He thought it was better to wait six months to show he could stick to a job. There has been nothing since.

nursemaggie

By the way I rather feel, because I am too big for children's clothes and too small for adult clothes, as far as clothes are considered I should do the same.

My family thing I am meaner than all the Scotsmen and Yorkshiremen in the world put together. We still manage to have the internet but then if your out of work that's compulsory.

Hard_Up_Hester

As you say Monna, I'd rather not move away from family, and if I did I can't see me getting another job at my age.
NurseMaggie, it's a nightmare isn't it, heaven knows how people are supposed to manage.

If we move to a studio flat we go from Band C to Band A we will save almost £400, we may lose the benefit of gas central heating but will only have a very small space to heat, we may just have to spend a lot of time in bed, which isn't necessarily a bad thing!

moneyistooshorttomention

Hester,

Those figures you are giving are making for a spinning head to me.

I do understand your logic re moving - and can see that having a mortgage (even a smaller one) is an "obstacle too far".

What I am wondering though is re factoring into the equation:

- those what I call "swopover costs" that come on selling one home and buying another. Mine were around £9,000 to move from one region to another (that was without anyone wasting any of my money - eg by paying for a survey on a house only to find it wasnt good enough to buy OR vendor letting me down - at least in that respect). Now that included stamp duty and my removal costs were pretty long-distance (ie from West Country to West Wales) - so they were higher than many, but "swopover costs" aren't cheap. Add that:

- there are always unexpected costs for work that just MUST be done now on the next place (even if I'd counted out the removal of a Rayburn/oil tank I'd factored in and just been prepared to "squat" in the house - which seems to be what the last owner was doing basically from what I can make out) - I found that the roof sprung a leak and the lights all blew within weeks of moving in. To be more accurate - the vendor had bodged and hidden that the roof needed a repair pronto and I realised when one of my ceilings rapidly developed a huge spreading stain.

- where you are now is presumably a "standard house" - but I'm concerned that if you moved, for instance, to a flatlet that you would have service charges as well as your own household bills

- you probably won't have a garden to grow food in any longer

Yep....I admit I honestly couldn't think how to "square the circle" and make the figures add up in your case and I could only see one way to deal with it in your case (ie both hubby and I just not being able to retire ever - not a happy prospect...).

Apologies for those (not very happy) thoughts too - but I have been wondering how you will "square the circle" on those points if you move.

Fingers crossed you can work out a way round all this.

Hard_Up_Hester

Nursemaggie, I have a neighbour who has 4 daughters, before the rules that are causing you so many problems came in to place, the first 3 daughters, at 16 to 18 years old, got pregnant and were immediately given a housing authority property. The last daughter is still at home and childfree, it may be coincidence, but I don't think so.
MITSTM I agree with what you're saying, I'm terrified of having my house repossessed so feel we need to get out whilst we still can. We are still looking at ways and means. Moving cost will be approx. £5000, which we have in savings.

moneyistooshorttomention

I get that point Hester - re repossession. I've read enough about how they just want to sell a place asap and tend to not even ensure the place fetchs its proper value.

Thankful you at least have savings to one side to cover those swopover costs. That's something....

I know that, on both moves (ie to starter house many years ago and to current house more recently) the vast majority of swopover costs didn't become payable until Completion Day. This time round - I was somewhat surprised to be "asked" for half the removal costs as soon as I booked the removal van. But, apart from that, I think I only paid out less than £100 in advance of Completion Day towards those costs. I'm not sure whether that's how it works for everyone though....

Pooky

Hester - if you're entitled to WTC then claim it! I've never had a problem with it, lots don't. Yes like all of these things the figures get put in wrong now and then but the majority of those who have a problem with it haven't done what's required, have changeable incomes or just don't check their forms are correct. Better in your pocket than in theirs!!